South Florida added another veteran piece to the 2025 defense with the commitment of former FAU defensive tackle Jacob Merrifield on Saturday. Merrifield was one of the top interior defensive linemen in the AAC in 2024 for the Owls despite missing four games due to injuries and he was on the watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy/AFCA Good Works Team in the preseason for his work off the field in Boca Raton.

The junior had 2.5 sacks in 182 snaps this past season for the Owls playing primarily defensive tackle. He was a regular contributor for the previous three seasons at FAU and will have one year of eligibility remaining in Tampa.